If you’re looking to make the best pasta sauce possible, quality ingredients are probably high on your shopping list. But are fresh tomatoes or the canned variety the right move? With benefits cited for both across the internet, it can be hard to determine which is best for you. To help settle the debate, Food Republic spoke to Dominick DiBartolomeo, owner of The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills and Domenico’s Foods, for his expert opinion.
According to DiBartolomeo, he doesn’t necessarily think one is definitively better than the other, but he prefers using fresh tomatoes whenever he can. “Reason being, you really get to experience the tomatoes’ sweetness and texture when they are perfectly ripe, which shines through in the sauce,” DiBartolomeo said.
As for the kinds of sauces each type of tomato is best suited for, it’s almost always preferable to use fresh, in-season tomatoes for simple recipes like pomodoro (the lazy cook’s favorite pasta sauce). This is because the tomato is the star ingredient in these dishes, and you’ll get the most intense flavor from the real thing. “Don’t get me wrong, I like canned tomatoes too, but that’s usually where I’m adding a few more ingredients to my dish,” DiBartomoleo said.
The difference between canned and fresh tomatoes
While the obvious difference lies in how they’re packaged, fresh and canned tomatoes also bring unique qualities to a dish. According to Dominick DiBartolomeo, fresh tomatoes offer a bright, vibrant, and balanced flavor, especially when you’re using ones at peak ripeness. By contrast, canned tomatoes often have “a less intense and more muted taste.”
Additionally, the canned variety can be a bit too acidic — particularly those made with the addition of lemon juice or citric acid. “As a result, when using canned tomatoes for a sauce, I tend to cook them much longer to bring out a little more of the concentrated tomato flavor and to reduce the acidity,” DiBartolomeo said.
When shopping for canned tomatoes, look for brands that include only tomatoes (and perhaps salt) on their ingredient list. This gives you the best chance at capturing the bright, bold flavor of fresh tomatoes without the potential sourness that added acid can bring.
Choose your canned tomatoes carefully
When it comes down to it, plum tomatoes are often considered the best for sauces thanks to their thick skins, low water content, and balanced flavor. Two of the most popular types — San Marzano and Roma tomatoes — share obvious similarities, but also have distinct differences worth noting.
“San Marzano tomatoes, known for their DOP certification and specific region in Italy in which they’re grown, are characterized by a more intense flavor, sweeter taste, and less acidity,” Dominick DiBartolomeo said. You have to import canned San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. Roma tomatoes, on the other hand, are readily available in the United States. You can find them fresh or canned at most grocery stores.
While you can easily grab fresh Roma tomatoes when they’re in season, it’s best to opt for San Marzano tomatoes if you’re going the canned route to ensure the highest-quality option. When browsing canned tomato brands at the grocery store, DiBartolomeo recommends choosing an imported variety that carries the DOP seal.
